Interaction of psychosocial factors in relation to mental health among workers in Malaysia: A review of literature

Abstract

For decades, numerous theoretical models were introduced to explore the interaction between psychosocial factors and mental health. This paper systematically reviews previous research on the interaction of psychosocial factors with mental health among workers in Malaysia. A comprehensive systematic literature review was performed using PRISMA protocol through electronic databases including Web of Science, Scopus, Dimensions.ai, and ProQuest. The search included articles published between the years of 2017 to 2021. A total of 18 articles was found to offer appropriate evidence towards psychosocial factors and their relationship with mental health among workers in Malaysia. Prevalence of mental health among workers was documented between 10% to 100%. The identified psychosocial factors were high job demands, poor social support, workplace bullying, shift work, job insecurity, working overtime, discrimination at work, financial support issue, and work-family conflict. This review provides a fundamental understanding of the association between perceived psychosocial factors on the workers' mental health.